The filmmakers didn’t choose to send paper prints for copyright. They HAD to send paper pints as there was no means of copyrighting film - only photographs.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-10-28-mn-58714-story.html
Passion and research.
Any quality restorative effort of a motion picture requires both, but not necessarily in equal measures.
If it's your assignment at the studio level to save a film that you've never seen, or never particularly liked, without proper research, the project can fail. With...